Hi, I'm new + several questions

[AtomicKitKat]

Hi, I've been, er, lurking for several years now and thought I would finally post to what seems to be the best d2x forum around.

Welcome to the Lounge! :)

I have 3 questions which I haven't seen discussed elsewhere. Which is not to say they have been discussed elsewhere, I just haven't seen them. And I have looked. And searched. (So pls spare me the: 'You godDAMN NOOB, this was discussed in the Buck-Toothed Frenzy-Taur forum on 12 June 1976. Do NOT post this again! ;-) )

Fire away! As long as it doesn't appear on the first couple pages of any sub forum(Atma's/Maggot Lair/Workshop/etc), most lurkers would be happy to answer your question(I hope)

Question 1: Am I right in thinking synergy bonuses only accrue from actual  skill points added to skills and not item +skill modifiers? (I think this is right. I was testing a barb and the bonus from berzerk to concentration could be measured exactly because it is 1% per point). Kind of limits the synergy factor but also prevents players with godly numbers of skill bonuses from becoming, well, GODLY.

I have no real idea. I wouldn't have minded a LITTLE bonus from items, maybe 1/2 effectiveness for each item skill point? Otherwise, my Leaf staff would feel kind of "useless"

Question 2: What level are merc auras? Do I understand correctly that the level is the same regardless of what level you first hire? And that they level up in their aura as they level up? So that it will always be better to hire a merc at a tender young age?

I think it's always the same, regardless of what level they come at. Most merc skills level along the lines of slvl=clvl/4, so a merc can only ever get an slvl of 25 at most(excluding items)

Question 3: Where does everyone get all this neat stuff? I hear players all the time, saying they have gaze and S/S and WFs and the full IK set and six million SOJs. I know some of it is duping but somebody must be finding this stuff. I've played for some time and only ever got mid-level stuff at best.

Try Magicfinding, and boss killing. There may be a low level MF breakpoint. My level 40-ish Inferno sorc has been finding uniques like MAD these last few days, averaging about 0.6-0.9 uniques per game(a quick waypoint to Eldritch+Shenk, followed by an Ancients to Baal run) And she only has 28% MF(4% from a grand charm she found in Act 3, and another 24% from her caster gloves) My guess is that 28% probably represents a certain breakpoint(kind of like the old 151% MF beating 150% MF by a lot "bug/feature") Believe me when I say Lore(OrtSol Helm)+Leaf(TirRal Staff, better still if you can find one with +3Fire Mastery)+Inferno is probably the most "skill efficient" killer I've had in a while.

(And what the hell is a Hex? I know... that's 4 questions).

Hexfire=a sword. I'm GUESSING, but it might be the higher level "equivalent" of Hellplague(a sword which adds to fire skills, useful for Act 3 fire mercs)